Science and Technology News

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Criminal Justice Technology in the News

Law Enforcement News

Chattanooga Police Consider Creating Central-Intelligence CenterNews Channel 9, (07/26/2016),
Kelsey BagwellThe
Chattanooga Police Department plans to use the Watson Field Reporting suite to
develop a central intelligence unit that would give field officers immediate
access to information about ongoing cases and suspects. The information,
including access to surveillance cameras, would be stored in this central
database and monitored by officers in a newly created section of the
department. Link
to Article

Police in Michigan Are Trying to 3D-Print a Murder Victim's
Fingerprint to Unlock His PhoneQuartz, (07/26/2016), Marta
CooperThe
Michigan State University Police Department is leveraging research conducted by
a research lab at the university to try to unlock a homicide victim's Samsung
Galaxy 6 mobile device. The lab has been experimenting with using 3-D printed
fingerprints to spoof mobile phone sensors, and the police department hopes the
technology may help them gain access to a lead that would solve the crime. Link
to Article

No More Ransom: Law Enforcement and IT Security Companies Join
Forces to Fight RansomwareBusinessWire, (07/25/2016)The
Dutch National Police, Europol, Intel Security and Kaspersky Lab have launched
a joint initiative called No More Ransom (www.nomoreransom.org),
an online portal that informs the public about the dangers of ransomware,
offers information on recovering locked data without paying ransom to
cybercriminals and explains steps individuals can take to protect themselves.
The worldwide number of ransomware victims increased by more than 500 percent
in the past year. Link
to Article

Pekin, Ill., PD Offers Virtual Ride-Alongs via Facebook LivestreamGovernment Technology,
(08/01/2016), Bill Lukitsch for the Peoria Journal StarThe
Pekin (Ill.) Police Department offers monthly virtual ride-alongs via the
Facebook Livestream application, offering residents a look at the daily duties
of a police officer from the comforts of their own homes. The department uses
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram on a daily basis and has garnered more than
21,000 likes for its Facebook page. The public information officer calls social
media one of the biggest assets the department has. Link
to Article

Police Shootings Drive Hunt for Better ArmorWashington Times,
(08/01/2016), Andrea NobleIn
the past five years, approximately one-fifth of all officers who were fatally
shot on the job were killed with high-powered rifles. Because of this high
incidence of rifle-related incidents, many police departments are looking to
equip their departments with higher grade ballistic-resistant body armor and/or
ballistic helmets. Link
to Article

Smithfield Police Capture Wanted Person With Help of 'Pokemon Go'
Facebook PostDaily Press, (08/02/2016),
Josh ReyesThe
Smithfield (Va.) Police Department posted a picture of Ditto, a Pokemon yet to
be found on its Facebook page, and invited eight citizens to the police station
for a chance of catching the Pokemon: the same eight individuals with
outstanding warrants who were listed on the department's website. One of these
individuals turned herself in after her sister saw the posting and encouraged
her to give herself up. Link
to Article

Women's Body Armor: Staying Ahead of the CurvesTaking Measure (NIST Blog),
(08/01/2016), Jennifer HuergoThis
blog post discusses ongoing research at the National Institute of Standards and
Technology related to women's stab-resistant body armor; the research has been
prompted by a growing national trend toward women's entering the corrections
field and the realization that body armor designed for male corrections
officers does not meet women's needs.Link
to Article

Corrections NewsIllinois Summer Camp Program Unites Jailed Moms With Their
ChildrenCBS Chicago, (07/30/2016),
Nancy HartyThis
week, 47 children between the ages of 7 and 12 will participate in the
"Mom and Me Summer Camp" held at women's prisons n Logan and Decatur,
Ill. During the four-day camp, which helps mothers reconnect with their
children, the youngsters spend time with their mothers during the day in
special prison rooms, then go to a campground in Bloomington for the night.Link
to Article

Fentanyl's Cachet Grows Thanks to Lack of Drug Testing for ItWCVB5, (07/28/2016), Karen
AndersonThis
2:46 video looks at the prevalence of fentanyl on Massachusetts streets, and
examines how it has become the drug of choice for some because many routine drug
tests do not detect it. Link
to Article

Crackdown on Prisoner Cell Phones Proves DifficultMississippi Today,
(07/28/2016), Patsy R. BrumfieldIn
the past five years, officials at two Mississippi state prisons have
intercepted more than 9 million texts and other attempted transmissions from
contraband inmate cell phones. The state recovered more than 3,000 devices in
2015, but officials say that far from alleviated the problem, and the state has
joined with others in a request to the Federal Communications Commission to
permit jamming of cellular signals from inside correctional facilities.Link
to Article

Could This Experimental Synthetic Opioid Break the Cycle of
Addiction?Miami Herald, (07/29/2016),
Tony PughResearchers
at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, are developing a synthetic opioid
that they say stops pain without causing physical dependence. Physical
dependence and addiction related to opioids such as OxyContin is a growing
problem in the United States; researchers caution the new drug is still years
away from commercial production.Link
to Article

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has directed the New York State
Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to forbid sex offenders on
parole from playing Pokemon Go and other Internet games; at the same time, he
asked the creator of the wildly popular game to help keep sex offenders from
playing. The game allows players to purchase a "lure" to encourage
people to visit a certain location for a mere 99 cents, which means registered
sex offenders could place one near their homes.Link
to Article